A major breakthrough in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease has been achieved. A collaborative study between Taipei Veterans General Hospital and South Korea’s Hanyang University has found that a simple blood draw of just a few cubic centimeters can effectively screen individuals at high risk of Alzheimer’s. The early diagnostic accuracy reaches up to 93%, potentially replacing the need for costly and invasive PET scans, which can cost around NT$70,000 per session, with a test costing only a few thousand NT dollars.
According to Jong-Ling Fuh, Deputy Director of the Neurological Institute at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, the prevalence of dementia among people over 65 in Taiwan is 8%, meaning that one in every twelve seniors is affected. Moreover, the likelihood of developing dementia doubles with every additional five years of age beyond 65. Dementia encompasses various types, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Lewy body dementia, with Alzheimer’s accounting for 60 to 70% of cases.
Fuh explained that Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease triggered by the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain, which causes excessive phosphorylation of tau protein—a protein that helps form the brain’s microtubule structures. This leads to neurofibrillary tangles and eventually neuronal death, resulting in dementia symptoms.
Shuu-Jiun Wang, Deputy Superintendent of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, noted that in the past, Alzheimer’s diagnosis primarily relied on clinical symptoms such as memory decline and cognitive impairment, with an accuracy rate of only about 70%. Definitive diagnosis required invasive and expensive procedures like cerebrospinal fluid testing or PET scans, which limited their accessibility.
To enable earlier diagnosis and treatment, the hospital collaborated with Hanyang University to conduct a joint study involving 170 participants in South Korea and 100 in Taiwan, including individuals with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitively healthy elderly subjects. The study found a strong correlation between phosphorylated tau protein levels in blood and amyloid plaque buildup in the brain. In particular, the plasma tau protein at site 217 showed higher predictive accuracy for early-stage Alzheimer’s than the traditionally used site 181.
Fuh stated that through a plasma-based model, participants were categorized into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. The high-risk group showed an 86% probability of developing dementia, while the low-risk group showed a 97% likelihood of not having the disease. This demonstrates the test’s strong ability to accurately identify true Alzheimer’s patients. She expressed confidence that the test would soon be approved by Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Food and Drug Administration. Inclusion in the National Health Insurance program would make the test even more widely accessible. The study has been published in the internationally renowned journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Fuh added that in the future, once adopted clinically, blood testing could replace PET scans for Alzheimer’s detection. However, further validation is needed. She encourages families to pursue early screening if they notice memory decline in elderly loved ones, as timely intervention is key to better outcomes.
Resource: 驗血就能揪出阿茲海默症 台北榮總重大研究準確率達93%
